Mexico City, Mexico - The Pope was right in supporting Turkey's entrance into the European Union. Turkey has fought long and hard to implement serious economic reforms and the country is growing at a splendid rate. Still, the main reason why the EU should seriously consider granting entrance to Turkey has nothing to do with economic performance. For centuries - for millennia, in fact - Turkey has been a cultural and religious bridge between East and West. Such an identity has made it a complex and troubled country (Orhan Pamuk's book on Istanbul is a wonderful example). The battle between a modern, secular, West-oriented and moderate Turkey and a retrograde, fanatical and resentful one is being fought as we speak.

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